Dr. Cecilia Rikap is an Associate Professor in Economics and the Head of Research at the University College London’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Cecilia’s work analyses corporate power and how knowledge extractivism leads to intellectual monopolisation. Her most recent research focuses on artificial intelligence, the cloud, Big Tech dominance, AI-driven geopolitical tensions, digital sovereignty and how digital dependence constrains development. She has published four books on these topics. The award-winning book Capitalism, Power and Innovation: Intellectual Monopoly Capitalism Uncovered, The Digital Innovation Race co-authored the book, and her two most recent books, “Teoría de la Dependencia Digital. Soberanía y Desarrollo en el Capitalismo del Siglo XXI” and “The Rulers: Corporate Power in the Age of AI and the Cloud” both published in 2026.